Despite the growing number of vehicles, both commercial and passenger, on Indian roads, there have not been very significant developments in the area of road safety. Numbers say that 13 road users die every hour throughout the country, which is a fairly high number. The PVR Network for Enablement and Social Transformation will use films and art to educate students across 100 schools in Delhi on road safety measures. This new program will be known as 'Cine Art Steer to Safety'.
Over a period of eight months, this initiative will attempt to educate about 1,00,000 students in different schools, about steps to be taken in the event of a mishap. The impact of these accidents on individuals who lose beloved family members will also be explained. Major reasons pointed out for traffic accidents are: disregard for traffic rules and regulations, improper traffic management and unavailability of traffic police at busy junctions.
With the availability of high speed cars and bikes in the market, incidents of rash driving leading to accidents have drastically gone up. This drastic trend has forced the Government to take different measures for limiting this menace. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are also expected to be used, in order to promote the message of responsible driving. While commenting on this unique initiative, Sanjeev K Bijli, one of the Managing Directors of PVR Cinemas said, “There is a desperate need to address the issue of urban sustainability which is in danger. Ironically, the fast-paced economic development and urbanisation meant for the progress of the people is now taking place at the expense of the people and severely straining the nation’s resources.”
In addition to school students, the Cine Art ‘Steer to Safety’ program will also reach out to numerous college and University students. This will be attempted through various interactive activities, organized at PVR Cinemas and India Habitat Centre, and may include other areas as well. India has one of the highest rate for accidents, and only if awareness, along with suitable expansion of roads are addressed, can this rate be controlled.
